


Bottled Kisses

by meslunettes



Series: Kissing Mishaps [1]
Category: Fire Emblem Series, Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: F/M, Fluff and Crack, Modern AU - University Life, congrats claude you've been played, everyone is friends with everyone and everything is happy ok, food for some claude ships I like, other ships if you squint, some OOC may occur due to alcohol influence
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-07
Updated: 2020-09-07
Packaged: 2021-03-07 07:01:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,161
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26349007
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/meslunettes/pseuds/meslunettes
Summary: All Claude wanted was a chance to kiss the girl he has been crushing on for a while. Instead, he got seven different kisses and a night full of headache.OrClaude got played by a bottle in a game of 'Spin the Bottle'.
Relationships: My Unit | Byleth/Claude von Riegan
Series: Kissing Mishaps [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2073840
Comments: 5
Kudos: 79





	Bottled Kisses

**Author's Note:**

> As usual, I'm a sucker for cliched ideas.
> 
> This is something written for "Kiss Claude Day" in which I decided to be very literal with the day's name and give you all this fic. I hope you all enjoyed it just as much as I had fun writing it!

"Spin the bottle? Really? What are we, seven?"

  
Claude raised an eyebrow in amusement at the circle that was forming in front of him. It consisted of the frivolous crowd of Garreg Mach University; Sylvain Gautier, Lorenz Gloucester, Hilda Goneril, Dorothea Arnault and the newest addition to the bunch, Yuri Leclerc, a new campus transfer who was quick to earn a reputation on par with Sylvain's for his wit and innate ability to charm others.

  
It was night, late into the co-op party hosted by Phi Delta Gamma fraternity and Tri Sigma sorority. Many of the students had retired back to their dorms for the night or whatever business they'd be up to over the weekend. The only ones currently left behind were those involved in organizing the party and some of their closest friends.

  
In other words, the most troublesome of the bunch.

  
"Oh, don't be such a prude Claude, come and join us!" Hilda called out from where she sat on the ground, slurring slightly from her drunken stupor.

  
Most, if not all of them at this point, were under varying states of drunkenness. On one of the couches of the room, Claude could see Felix passed out and sleeping on Annette's lap. For someone who always acted like he was the toughest badass around, he sure succumbed to alcohol relatively easily. Ferdinand and Caspar were on the nth round of arm wrestling, cheered on by Raphael and Leonie.

  
Lindhart was of course, already dozing off in a corner, but he did that whether sober or drunk. Ashe and Ignatz were having a go at the dartboard and were missing all their shots rather terribly, a testament to their drunken state as they both generally boasted ridiculous accuracy. Lysithea, Cyril and Bernadetta were nursing a large bucket of sweets in front of the TV and were getting dangerously sugar-high. He'll steer clear away from that corner.

  
"Dimaaaaaaa come join uuus," Sylvain grabbed Dimitri, who just happened to pass by the circle with Dedue, and pulled the blonde down to sit next to him.

  
Dimitri blinked, face slightly pink from alcohol. "What are we playing here?"

  
"Spin the bottle!" Hilda raised an arm as she answered.

  
"You spin the bottle and you have to kiss whoever the bottle points at when it stops," Dorothea answered with a wink.

  
"Well, with this we are very uneven between the men and women," Lorenz noted with a hint of disdain.

  
"Oh, I would like to play very much," Petra chimed in and dropped down next to Hilda on the floor.

  
"That's my giiirl!" Hilda hugged the Brigid transfer student tightly.

  
"Hilda, I would like to have some air please," Petra gasped and Hilda let her go with an 'oops'.

  
"El! You want to play?" Dorothea called out to Edelgard who was standing by the kitchen island with Ingrid, Mercedes and Hubert. Ah, the group with the most self-restraint. Or as Claude would dub, The Chaperone Quartet.

  
"No thank you, I'll watch the disaster all the way from over here," Edelgard grinned back at Dorothea.

  
From the corner of his eye, Claude spotted two women approaching the circle.

  
"Hello, Byleth and Marianne." It was Yuri who spoke, still maintaining the smooth tone that many found irresistible. "Care to join our little game?"

  
Claude turned his head to the two. Seeing the group set-up, recognition hits Marianne's face. "I think I will be by the island with Ingrid and the others," Marianne smiled slightly in response before walking off to the kitchen’s direction, leaving Byleth standing alone by the group. 

  
Smart move.

  
“Well?” Yuri threw a sickeningly sweet smile at Byleth and Claude had an urge to scrub the smug look off the man’s face with a toilet brush.

  
Byleth gave a contemplating look before shifting her gaze to Claude. He met her blue eyes and Claude could feel his heart skip oh so deliberately.

  
Byleth Eisner. The bane of his existence, in the most wonderful way. 

  
She was the undergraduate TA for his Ancient Fodlan History class last semester, a liberal arts course he took as one of his electives. She caught his attention immediately, sharp cerulean eyes that struck deep into his core. He signed up for one of her tutoring sessions, wanting to consult on relevant texts for his final research paper. From there, he discovered her brilliance and her eloquence in teaching. He liked the way her eyes brightened as she talked about the subject. 

  
Claude ended up signing up for more meetings despite the fact that he was among the well-off students in the class. She caught onto him and he had no choice but to admit that she was the reason for his visits. It didn’t throw her off, fortunately, and they agreed to exchange numbers in return that Claude freed up her schedule for students who were more in need of guidance.

  
They had exchanged texts frequently from then on and had gone out together, with friends and with each other. Recently, she had taken him on a fishing trip, and in return, Claude showed her the wonders of archery. She was adventurous, strong, smart and kind-hearted and it didn’t take long for Claude to realize he was absolutely smitten with her.

  
But that was where the dilemma struck. Right now, Claude had built a comfortable relationship with Byleth, but he knew he wanted more. He thought there were hints of Byleth wanting more as well, but he really didn’t want to screw up everything with what could be his perfect woman. 

  
And so, here they were, stuck in a limbo of a bond that couldn’t really be named.

  
“I’ll play if Claude joins as well,” Byleth answered, a corner of her mouth tilting upwards as she stared straight at Claude.

  
Oh really now, was that how it was going to be?

  
Claude grinned back. 

  
“Well, can’t refuse the request of a lady,” Claude shrugged and plopped down next to Dimitri on the floor.

  
“All right, let’s get smoochin’!” Sylvain yelled excitedly.

  
\---

  
Claude didn't believe in curses or hexes or the like. Really, he didn't.

  
But as he watched the bottle in the center of the circle spin, he was starting to wonder if there was a conspiracy between it and the people sitting around him that he missed.

  
Sylvain had changed the rules of the game a little; instead of having the two ends of the bottle as pointers of the kisser and the kissed, whoever’s turn to spin would have to kiss the person the top end of the bottle stopped at so everyone would have to participate one way or the other, and that everyone was fair game despite where they sat. Which made sense enough for Claude.

  
Except for the past three turns, the bottle kept stopping at him.

  
The first spinner was Hilda. This wasn’t too big of a deal for Claude. She was one of his best friends and they’ve exchanged hugs and pecks on the cheeks before. A little kiss was nothing different than those. Okay, he breezed through that.

  
Then came Petra’s turn. All right, she was a nice girl, quite a good friend to him. They exchanged a brief quick kiss. Nothing to it.

  
It was when Sylvain’s spin landed on him that Claude started to think the universe had something against him that night.

  
“All right, pucker up lover-boy,” Sylvain cracked his knuckles before crawling forward to meet him, which Claude (very) reluctantly returned. They exchanged pecks to the cat calls of everyone in the circle (including Ingrid all the way from the kitchen?) When they withdrew, Sylvain gave him a coy look. "So, does that do anything for you?"

  
"Yeah," Claude grinned back at him, "made me want to drink the memory away."

  
Sylvain laughed at him before returning to his place.

  
Then came the present issue. The bottle currently spinning in the center. The spinner? Dimitri Alexandre Blaiddyd.

  
Three times was enough, universe. Let somebody else get kissed instead.

  
Unfortunately for Claude, the universe was currently picking up a new hobby called Claude's despair. The bottle stopped, pointing back at him. Again.

  
Claude and Dimitri turned to each other at the same time.

  
"This is not happening," Claude deadpanned.

  
"I concur," Dimitri nodded.

  
Claude could hear Ingrid's laughter joined by Edelgard's now in the background somewhere.

  
"Tsk tsk, rules are rules guys," said Hilda, waving a finger at the two. "We did say from the beginning  _ everyone _ is fair game."

  
"Now, now, I'm sure there's nothing our football quarterback and lacrosse team captain can't do," Yuri added with a chuckle, earning him a glare from the two men.

  
"Come on, my dudes, I want to keep the game rolling," Sylvain whined. Claude looked around to expectant eyes from the group circle. His gaze landed on Byleth briefly. She was obviously stifling in her laughter behind her hand. Great. Wonderful.

  
He sighed and turned back to Dimitri.

  
"Let's just get this over with," he muttered in defeat.

  
Dimitri gulped once before inching his face closer forward to Claude's, his face growing redder by the second. Once their lips met, the loudest cat calls erupted from the group and he could have sworn there were camera flashes. Claude made a note to track down whoever had pictures and give them hell.

  
They pulled away from each other no sooner than the kiss happened. Claude scrunched up his face and turned to the group.

  
"Worst. Kiss. Ever guys. Really, it felt like kissing a dead fish," he said. He turned to Dimitri once more. "It's a good thing your looks make up for it."

  
"H-hey! It's not like I have much experience in it," Dimitri responded with great fluster.

  
"Experience in kissing?" Claude raised an eyebrow with a cocky grin. Dimitri merely turned away from him. Bulls-eye. The blonde man is truly a modern-day paradox of being a jock with virgin virtues.

  
"Anyway, it's my turn right?" Claude reached out and spun the bottle across him, fervently hoping it would point to a certain blue-haired woman.

  
Please, please, please. He'd had enough of people's lips for the night. He just wanted that one pair of lips that he'd been aiming for and call it a day.

  
And… Dorothea. Okay, it's the lesser of all the evils he had to go through tonight. Claude began to crawl over to her direction and Dorothea leaned forward to meet him.

  
"My my, someone's a very lucky boy tonight," she sang in a low voice.

  
"Could be luckier to be honest," Claude answered back.

  
"Maybe in three turns hmm?" Dorothea winked at him knowingly. They kissed briefly before withdrawing away from each other.

  
"Not bad, Riegan," Dorothea nodded at him.

  
"Back at you Arnault," Claude winked at her good naturedly before returning back to his spot.

  
Lorenz, who was sitting next to Claude, stared at the bottle in front of him with an agonized expression.

  
"Judging by the trend of where the bottle lands I'm a little afraid to spin this," he muttered.

  
"Yeah, how do you think I feel?" Claude scoffed. "Just spin it, we are so mismatched it probably wouldn't happen."

  
"Yes, I believe so," Lorenz nodded and spun the green glass bottle. 

  
Unfortunately, simply believing was not enough. The colors disappeared from Claude and Lorenz's faces as the bottle slowly stopped spinning and pointed back, once again, at one Claude von Riegan.

  
Hilda was on the floor dying with laughter at this point.

  
"Can somebody get another bottle?! This one is rigged!" Claude yelled in exasperation.

  
"Claude, you are either straight up cursed. Or blessed. Depending how you take this," Sylvain guffawed.

  
Lorenz brought a hand up to his face. "I am not drunk enough for this."

  
"Here," Dedue, who had been watching the entire thing from behind Dimitri, offered his can of beer to the violet-haired man. Lorenz accepted the offering and quickly downed its entire content in a couple of gulps. He returned the empty can to Dedue. "Thanks man."   
  
  
Lorenz turned and faced Claude. "I hate you."

  
"Feeling's mutual," Claude replied. Lorenz brought his lips to Claude's and removed it after a second. But within that one second, cheers broke out from the group and Hilda, ever so quick with her phone, managed to capture a close up picture.

  
Claude and Lorenz turned away from each other with retching sounds.

  
"Sorry, Dimitri, I take what I said about you back, this one was worse," Claude pointed at Lorenz. Lorenz muttered several curses at Claude.

  
"So, I guess it's my turn now," Yuri grabbed the green bottle in the center of the circle. "Although.." he turned to Claude, "will spinning it be a waste of my time? Should I just go straight and kiss you?" 

  
"Take your chances, I give up at this point," Claude waved a hand dismissively at Yuri and sighed. Sure enough, to no one's surprise, the bottle landed at Claude once more.

  
"You are definitely cursed," Yuri said as he cupped Claude's face with a hand and kissed him. 

  
Despite his despair, Claude had to admit, out of all the guys (and maybe even some of the girls) Yuri's kiss was definitely one of the top ones he had tonight. He was definitely very experienced. Yuri pulled back from Claude with a smile. "Maybe that will break the curse."

_  
I hope not, yet, _ Claude thought to himself, knowing the person he was looking forward the most to kiss was right after Yuri.

  
"You are enjoying this way too much," Claude lamented with a scowl as Yuri moved back to his spot. 

  
The lilac-haired man shrugged. "I make it a point to make a good thing out of any situation." The man grabbed the bottle and passed it to Byleth who was sitting on his right. "I believe it's your turn."

  
Byleth took the bottle and murmured a quiet thanks to Yuri. She placed the bottle on the floor across her, giving a brief glance at Claude, before spinning the glass object.

  
_Finally.  
  
_

Claude stared at the spinning bottle with anticipation. Judging by the trend tonight, it had to land on him right? It just  _ had _ to. And then he and Byleth would share their first ever kiss, and he'd finally be able to taste those pink and glossy lips that he'd always imagined in his head. He'd prefer to share their first kiss in private, sure, but he would not be complaining.

  
The bottle slowed down, pointing at his general direction until it stopped at…

  
Dimitri?!?! 

  
SON OF A B--

  
"Well that was unexpected," Byleth blinked in surprise.

  
"Did Byleth just break the curse?" Lorenz asked, mouth slightly agape.

  
"Hahaha, just imagine if she had gone earlier. Claude's misery would probably have been stopped," Sylvain laughed.

  
Claude saw Hilda and Dorothea throwing him a look that was a mixture of amusement and pity. Really, what heinous crime did he ever do to receive such agonizing punishment? Was it the laxative incident?

  
Byleth, being someone who never backed away from a challenge, simply crawled over across the circle until she was in front of Dimitri. She gave him a brief smile before pressing her lips to his.

  
Okay, scratch that. This. This was the most agonizing part of night. There she was, the woman of his dreams kissing another guy right in front of him… and he legally couldn't do anything about it. When she pulled away from Dimitri, Claude could see that the man was blushing slightly, as if he enjoyed the kiss ( _that bastard!_ ).

  
And why wouldn't he enjoy it? Claude was sure Byleth would be a good kisser with those plump soft lips of hers, her adorably cute face and the fruity scent of her hair. All of those so close to him yet ...yet…

  
Okay, he needed to cool his head.

  
"Be right back guys, I'm going to get some fresh air for a bit," said Claude, standing up from his spot and walking to the front door of the lodge.

  
He missed the knowing looks everyone gave him.

  
\---

  
"Hey," a voice called out next to him.

  
Claude turned his attention to the voice. Byleth was standing next to him, leaning against the wooden railings of the porch.

  
"Hey, you," he muttered back at Byleth with a soft smile. Byleth looked up to the late night sky, twinkles of stars filled the dark sky. The night was clear and the air was cool and comfortable.

  
"Intense night for you huh?" Byleth gave him a chuckle.

  
"Ugh, tell me about it," Claude shuddered slightly, "I think my kissing quota for the year just got filled. I don't want to feel another person's lips on me until next year."

  
Byleth hummed in response, seemingly in thought for a bit.

  
"Well, that's too bad," she started after a brief pause of silence, "because I'm the only one who didn't get to kiss you tonight." She turned and met her blue eyes with his green ones, a playful glint on them. "I feel a little left out you know."

  
Claude blinked and resisted the urge to pinch himself. Was this for real? He wasn't dreaming, right? Was she hinting what he thought she was hinting at?

  
"Well...I suppose I can open one more slot just for you," Claude replied, matching her playful tone. "If you want to, that is."

  
"Yes," Byleth responded without missing a beat. The playfulness in her tone was gone and her face turned serious and honest. She was letting him into the depths of her heart. 

  
Byleth walked over closer to him and Claude turned to face her, stepping towards her and closing the gap of space between them. She reached out and cupped his face with her hands. 

  
"I would like that very much," she muttered softly before bringing down his face slowly to hers, meeting their lips together.

  
Claude closed his eyes, savoring the feeling of her lips on his at last. The kiss was chaste and soft, merely the tip of the mountainous amount of affection they have both been harboring towards each other. 

  
Byleth pulled back first, eyes lingering on Claude, an unreadable expression on her face.

  
"Was that... okay?" she asked softly, a hint of uncertainty in her voice. 

  
Claude responded by pressing his lips onto hers once more. This time deeper, letting her know that yes, it was okay. It was more than okay. It was great. It was wonderful. It was everything he had dreamed of.

_  
She  _ was everything he had ever dreamed of.

  
They pulled back from each other, both catching their breaths. Warm smiles broke out from both of their faces. Claude brought his forehead down against Byleth's.

  
"So, you're still swearing off kisses until next year?" Byleth asked in a husky whisper.

  
Claude chuckled at her question. He gave a soft peck to her lips before answering. 

  
"For you, it will be 'kiss Claude day' every day and every night."

  
  
  
  


**Author's Note:**

> In which I manage to make every possible Claude ships that I like kiss and still make my ultimate pairing an endgame of the story *evil laughs*. Poor Claude, at least he managed to get that one kiss he's been after at last right?


End file.
